JD(U), RJD, Congress state chiefs to campaign together in by-poll

Patna: Though suspense continued whether Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar would share dais during bypoll in 10 Assembly seats in Bihar, Congress on Wednesday said state presidents of the three parties would campaign jointly in the election.

"It has been decided that state presidents of JD(U), RJD and Congress will campaign in the bypoll together and address a joint workers meeting of the three allies," state Congress vice president and its media in-charge Prem Chand Mishra told.

Basistha Narayan Singh heads JD(U) in the state. Ramchandra Purbe and Ashok Choudhary are his RJD and Congress counterparts respectively.

Mishra said the three would hit the campaign trail from coming Friday.

Asked about chance of Congress president Sonia Gandhi or its vice vresident Rahul Gandhi campaigning for party candidates and also for those of alliance partners in the bypoll, Mishra said central leaders do not campaign in bypoll.

He said he has no information if RJD president Lalu Prasad and his long time bete noire Nitish Kumar would campaign together with the Congress leaders.

JD(U), RJD and Congress entered into seat-sharing arrangements for the 10 Bihar Assembly seats in the bypoll scheduled on August 21 to defeat the BJP which decimated them in the general election. As per the agreement while JD(U) and RJD have put up candidates in four seats each, Congress has fielded two candidates.

Mishra claimed that workers of the three parties would coordinate among themselves to ensure victory of common candidates in all the 10 seats.